A car is not a luxury, especially for families with many children. Long trips and weekend trips are necessary for the health of children and their parents, to gain positive impressions and memories. But imagine that we would have to drag through the city train station with backpacks and suitcases, and constantly count the children, afraid of losing them, and the desire to go hiking begins to fade. Instead of positive parents are guaranteed nerve-racking. Another thing – a personal spacious car. Came out of the door, loaded luggage, seat children, sit down themselves, and full speed ahead! The main thing is for the car to be capacious, reliable and comfortable. Kirill Yurowskiy, a father with many children, offers his advice on choosing a car for families with more than 2 children.
Rating cars for large families
Having studied the technical characteristics of station wagons, crossovers and minivans, and compared their features, market value, design and owner reviews. The main criteria were considered:
- Capacity – number of seats, trunk volume;
- Comfort level – ergonomics of seats, quality of interior materials and trim;
- Multimedia system – functionality, availability and size of the display, convenience of location;
- Safety of the driver and passengers – availability of belts and airbags, brake system arrangement, quality of optics;
- Engine power;
- Fuel consumption;
- The size of ground clearance and the possibility of the car on rural roads.
Not a dozen of options, we have selected the 6 best models and made our rating, which we offer to the attention of buyers.
The best inexpensive cars for a large family
Buying a car is a serious expenditure of money. You can’t buy a good car cheaply. Large families spend a lot of money to support their children. The decision to buy a car is made if parents are confident that the family’s financial capabilities can withstand such expenses. The cost of the car is one of the most important selection criteria. New machines are more expensive than used ones, and used ones require repairs and the purchase of spare parts, i.e. they become sources of additional and constant expenses. The best cars for a large family should be new and inexpensive to maintain.
Renault Duster
All buyers note the ideal price/quality ratio of this crossover. The car has versatile driving qualities, feels great on city roads and confidently overcomes off-road, having ground clearance of 210 mm. Duster is equipped with a four-cylinder, 2-liter, 150-horsepower unit. It accelerates to 100 km/h in 10.2 seconds. Maximum speed is 172 km/h. Fuel consumption in a mixed mode is 5.2 liters. It comes with a five and seven-seat body, front or all-wheel drive, manual, robotized or variator gearbox.
The design of the seats is ergonomic, with several adjustments to bring them into a position comfortable for the driver and passengers. The rear rows fold down, increasing the trunk capacity to 1,720 liters. To facilitate parking and correct assessment of the road situation, there are four all-around view cameras, the images from which are transmitted to the Media NAV 4 screen. One of them is built into the grille, two – in the side mirrors, plus a rear view camera.
Renault Duster is equipped with an on-board computer, a fourth-generation Media NAV multimedia system with a 7-inch screen diagonal, with built-in navigation maps, and a remote-controlled Renault Smart start system.
Advantages:
- Updated multimedia system with lots of useful features;
- Available options – six airbags;
- Active safety systems – ABS/AFU, ESP;
- All-around view system with cameras on the perimeter.
Disadvantages:
- Not identified.
Opel Zafira Tourer
Technical characteristics of the family minivan will satisfy the most picky driver. The model comes with a 1.8 liter turbocharged petrol unit, a 1.4 liter turbocharged diesel 2.0 CDTI. The two-liter turbodiesel accelerates the car up to 100 km/h in 9.8 seconds. Diesel consumption is less than 5.2 liters per 100 km.
The model with 1.8-liter gasoline engine and 5-speed automatic transmission is the fastest. The device accelerates to 100 km in 9 seconds and reaches a maximum speed of 225 km/h and has a smooth run. The ground clearance is 130mm. The basic version of the device is equipped with 17-inch tires with a radial cord (R17). Luggage capacity is 710 liters and increases to 1750 liters with folded back row seats.
The car looks very attractive, thanks to the streamlined shape of the body, a huge panoramic glass and glass roof, futuristic shape of the fender, the rear and front lights. Specialists from Opel have developed and equipped most of its vehicles with adaptive systems AFL (lighting), ACC (cruise control), TSA (road sign detection), FCA (obstacle detection). All this makes the Opel Zafira Tourer a safe family car, roomy and comfortable.
Advantages:
- Stylish design;
- Roomy interior;
- Powerful engine and economical engine;
- High level of safety.
Disadvantages:
- Low ground clearance.
The Best 7-Passenger Cars for Large Families
A large family won’t have enough of a regular five-seat sedan, station wagon or hatchback even for an ordinary trip into town. To accommodate the whole family, you need at least a seven-seat car. It is desirable that it was equipped with comfortable armchairs, climate control system, the best option is a three-zone one. The car must be reliable, easy to drive, economical and inexpensive to maintain, so that the budget of a large family would not suffer. Our experts have considered several models that fit the above requirements and settled on three nominees, worthy of inclusion in the rating.
Skoda Kodiaq
Powerful, reliable, graceful, comfortable, innovative and very roomy. This is all about Skoda Kodiaq crossover, designed by engineers of Volkswagen concern. Its dimensions (length / width / height): 4697x1882x181mm. Gross weight is 1615 kg. The truck can be equipped with one of the five engines, diesel or four gasoline. The most powerful is petrol 4-cylinder with the volume of 1984 cubic centimeters and capacity of 180 hp. With it the crossover accelerates up to a hundred for 8,2 seconds and can reach 207 km/hour. Consumption of snot in the city is not more than 10.7 liters per 100 kilometers, on the highway – not more than 6.5 liters. Drive is all-wheel drive. The transmission is automatic, robotized.
Interior is comfortable, with impeccable ergonomics. Finishing materials only of high and premium quality. The unit is equipped with a multifunction steering wheel, laconic dashboard. The on-board display has a color screen with a diagonal size of 6.5 to 8 inches. In the seven-seat version, the driver and passengers of the first and second row will enjoy full comfort. There is not enough space on the rear couch for adults. Only the children will feel themselves freely there. The Kodiak’s trunk is one of the biggest in the class. With a full load of passengers it is possible to put 270 liters of personal belongings in the body. Having left five seats we will increase a luggage compartment up to 720 liters. Removing the seats of the second row we get a “truck” capable of taking on board 2065 liters of luggage.
Advantages:
- Impeccable ergonomics;
- High-quality trim materials;
- Plenty of room for luggage;
- Powerful engine;
- Low fuel consumption.
Disadvantages:
- High price.
Hyundai Grand Santa Fe
In our review crossover production of the South Korean company. Its dimensions: 4905x1885x1685 mm. The distance between the front and rear axles (wheelbase) is 2,800 mm. With a ground clearance of 180 mm, the Parkett can easily drive on country roads and broken asphalt roads. Capacity is 7 seats (with a driver). After removing two rows of seats a user receives a free volume for luggage transportation, equal to 1842 liters.
Base model can be equipped with two types of engines: in-line turbodiesel 2,199 cc, 200 hp and atmospheric petrol V6, 2,999 cc, with direct injection, 249 hp. The first accelerates the car up to a hundred in 9.9 seconds. Maximum speed is 207 km/hour. The corresponding figures of the second – 9.2 s and 207 ka/hour. Fuel consumption (gasoline) is: 14.1 liters in the city, and 10.5 liters on the highway.
The car has a stylish, charismatic design, and looks great in the city and countryside. Ergonomics and practicality reign in the cabin. The level of comfort is very high. On long, long trips, the driver and passengers are guaranteed to be free of discomfort.
Advantages:
- Stylish design;
- A roomy body;
- The powerful engine;
- The high cross-country ability.
Disadvantages:
- High fuel consumption.
The best minivans for a large family
Cars of this class are in demand among drivers with many children. With three or more children, it is difficult for parents to accommodate such a company in the salons of sedans and hatchbacks. The minivan in this case is the best thing. Its biggest advantage is the seven- or eight-seat body. More roomy bodies are already minibuses. We have studied several dozens of minivan descriptions, compared their specifications and buyers’ reviews. The accomplished work has helped us to choose three nominees with the best reviews.
Toyota Alphard
Seven-seater minivan from the Japanese automobile corporation. Dimensions (length/width/height): 4945x1850x1945 mm. Ground clearance is 160 mm. Such ground clearance allows to overcome obstacles on broken roads with paved surfaces, but is not suitable for off-road travel. The standard layout is seven seats. All seats are separate, “captain’s”, comfortable and adjustable in all directions. The rear-row sofa is arranged simpler and cannot provide the same conditions to the passengers. For transportation of bulky cargoes it is folded, increasing the volume of the trunk up to 1900 liters.
Russian buyers can buy Toyota Alphard with front-wheel drive, 8-speed automatic transmission, V-type six-cylinder 3456 cc atmospheric unit with 300 “horses”. It accelerates the van to 100 km in 8.1 seconds. Fuel consumption (average) does not exceed 9.4 liters. The car features a stylish, memorable design. It will not go unnoticed in the flow of cars on city roads. Exclusive materials are used for the interior, providing passengers and the owner with the highest level of comfort, practicality and ergonomics.
Advantages:
- Premium finish;
- Stylish design;
- Smooth running;
- Powerful engine.
Disadvantages:
- Expensive maintenance.
Chevrolet Orlando
In our review, a minivan from the American auto giant General Motors. It is distinguished by its original, energetic design. Composition of seating reminds theatrical, each next row of seats is located above the previous one. By removing the five rear seats, we will increase the volume of the trunk up to 1,487 liters.
The interior is equipped with many shelves and pockets for storing small personal items. Behind the multimedia panel designers have placed something like a secret compartment for documents, glasses, wallets. Depending on the configuration, you can get a car with a panoramic roof, providing additional interior lighting. The central console is equipped with a color display of the on-board computer, buttons to control the multimedia system and climate control. There are air duct grilles on the right and left sides.
Orlando can be equipped with one of three engines: gasoline 1.8 liter engine with 141 horsepower and two two-liter diesel engines with 131 and 163 horsepower. The petrol engine has a top speed of 185 km/hour. Up to a hundred it accelerates in 11 seconds. Fuel consumption in the city is 9.7 liters, on the highway – 5.9 l/100 km. The engines are combined with five-speed manual transmission or six-speed automatic. The basic package offers the buyer a manual transmission, four airbags, heated front seats, power side mirrors and a simple audio system.
Advantages:
- Vigorous appearance;
- Smooth running;
- Powerful engine;
- Low fuel consumption.
Disadvantages:
- Suspension is a bit stiff.
